Where does “ASCII art” come from?

ASCII art (English) comes from English Art, from Middle English art, from Old French art, from Latin artem, from Latin ars, from Proto-Italic artis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂értis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.

ASCII art (English): A form of letter art that uses only ASCII...

Definitions

  1. A form of letter art that uses only ASCII...

Ancestry of “ASCII art”, step by step

ASCII art traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Art

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishArtThe conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the senses and emotions, usually specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium
2Middle EnglishartSecond-person singular present indicative form of...
3Old Frenchartart (skill; practice; method)
4Latinartemaccusative singular of ars; first-person singular...
5Latinarsart; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power
6Proto-Italicartis
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂értisfitting
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

via English ASCII

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishASCIIascians

Words derived from “ASCII art

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂értisEvery word from Proto-Italic artis